Apparatus and method of controlling fans



June 7, 1932. E. 1.. ANDERSON APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING FANS Filed March 29, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l N I 'ENTOR EDWARD L4 A/vomsom June 7, 1932. E. L. ANDERSON 1,862,289

APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING FANS Jmlw *MW Patented June 7, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT: OFFICE EDWARD L. ANDERSON, OF GROSSE ILE, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN BLOWER CORPORATION, OF, DETROIT, MICHIGAN,'A CORPORATION OF DELAWABE APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING FANS Application filed March 29, 1929. Serial No. 851,080.

This inventionrelates to improvements in rotary fans.

It more particularly relates to improve; ments in the fan wheel and in the passageof air expelled from the fan through the exit will be controlled and regulated. It is also an object of this adjustable passageway;

to control and regulate and prevent the formation of eddies and cross currents in the fan blades in theoperationof the fan.

From the foregoing it is obvious that one of the objects of this invention is to provide a fan that will control the admission and the exit of air from the fan housing independent of any variation in the speed of the fan and independent of anychange in the motive power used for operating the fan. There is thus provided a "convenient, cheap and simple means for controlling the delivery of air from a fan which is operated by a constant speed motor.

vFor the purpose of illustration there is shown in the accompanying drawings preferred embodiments of this invention.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the fan casing and the air inlet passageway.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the casing, the fan and the adjustable passageway.

Figure 3 is a modified form in which there is an adjustable sleeve for controlling the "admission of air.

The numeral 1 is used to designate the fan housing, which is scroll shaped, and'has on one side thereof a circular opening 2. It also has a suitable outlet opening 3 at right angles to the inlet. Rotatably mounted within thehousing is a fan wheel 4, which has a rear disk-member 5, which is suitably supported near one end of a shaft 6.

On the end of the shaft 6 and in engagement with the disk 5 is a cone member whichis rigidly attached to the shaft and the rear disk and forms part of the fan wheel. On the outer periphery of the disk 5 is a series of radially arranged blades 8, which serve as fan blades. 'VVhile these bladesare here described as being'radially arranged, the arrangement of the blades may be varied so as to accomplish the better and more ef,-' ficient delivery of air. The ends of the blades remote from the disk 5 are beveled, as indicated by the numeral 9, and have attached thereto a shroud member 10. This shroud member extends slightly beyond the lateral edges of the blades, and one edge of the shroud is adapted to extend over the inner end of the conical inlet passageway.

The conical inlet passage is indicated by the numeral 11, and fits Within the circular opening in the side of the casing and has an outwardly extending flange 12 thereon which contacts with the face of the housing adjacent the opening. For the purpose of moving and adjusting the conical shaped passage,

there are handholds 13. The inner endof the conical shaped passageway is flared out, as indicated by the numeral 14. This inner flared-out part may be integral with or separate from and united with the other part of the passageway'by any suitable means. In thepresent instance it'is shown to be composed of a separate piece, suitably attached to the other part of the passageway. Extending from the inner flared section 14 are radially extending arms 15, which at. their inner ends are attached tothe hub member 16, which has a hole therethrough for the reception of a shaft 17. This shaft 17 is sup ported by a support member 18.

In adjusting the conical shaped passageway the handle 13 is taken in the hands and the conical shaped passageway is moved as a whole. The dotted lines. of Figure 2 show the passageway in open position with a large annular opening between the inner end of the passageway and the shroud, while in closed position the restricted part of the shroud extends over the flared end of the passageway so that any air passing from the housing through the opening will entersubstantially in the direction of the air moving in the fan, thereby producing no eddies and cross currents, but when the passageway is drawn out the opening between the flared end of the passageway and the shroud is of such a nature that the air will pass through said opening rather than going through the fan, thereby retarding the action of the fan and the amount of air delivered from the fan.

In Figure 3 there is shown a modified form of means for controlling the admission of air to the fan. In this form the conical shaped passageway gives away to a fixed sleeve 19, which has a broad flange 20 which engages the side of the housing. Slidably mounted within the fixed sleeve is a slidable sleeve 21.

It will be noticed from an inspection of Figure 3 that the fixed sleeve does not extend all the way to the shroud member, there being left an annular space between the two. The inner end of the slidable sleeve is flared, as indicated by the numeral 22. This flared end of the slidable sleeve normally rests within the outer and reduced portion of the shroud, leaving between them a small annular opening for the passage of air from the housing into the wheel of the fan and out through the fan blades.

For the purpose of supporting the slidable sleeve there are radially arranged arms 23 extending from the inner surface of the sleeve of a hub member 24, which has an opening theret-hrough for the reception of a shaft 25. This shaft, in Figure 3, is shown as being continuous with the shaft 6 of Figure 2, and is supported by supports 18. While this shaft is shown to be continuous with the shaft 6 it may be formed in two parts, as shown in Figure 2.

Slidably mounted upon the shaft 25 is a ring 26 which has stud members 27 projecting therefrom engaged by one end of a link 28, while the outer end of the link engages pins 29 fitting within the hub member 24.

Mounted upon some suitable support, as indicated by the numeral 30, is a lever 31, one end of whichfits over a projection on one of the studs 27, as indicated by the numeral 32. The lever 31 rocks around the point 30 as a plvot, and being so rocked moves the ring 26, the links 28 and the hub 24, thereby moving the slidable sleeve 21. As shown in Figure 3, the slidable sleeve is in the extreme righthand position, substantially cutting off all admission of air to the fan. In dotted lines in this figure is shown the sleeve in its extreme lefthand position, which allows for the free admission of air from outside of the housing into and through the fan, and at the same time provides space between the inner end of the sleeve and the shroud for the passing of air in .order to prevent any eddies, cross cur rents and interference with the delivery of air from the fan.

It is also noted that the cone member 7, immediately at the rear of the fan wheel, serves to divide and give direction to the air as it enters the fan wheel so that therewill be as little interference and cross currents in the air as possible at this point.

I desire to comprehend within my invention such modifications as may be clealy embraced within my claims and the scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a fan having a scroll housing with a circular inlet, a shaft extending through said inlet into said housing, and a cone-shaped inlet passage in said inlet supported by said shaft for movement to and away from said housing, said cone-shaped member having an inner outwardly flared end projecting into the fan, and a fan having a spaced overlapping shroud.

2. In a fan circular inlet, a shaft extending through said inlet into said housing, a cone-shaped inlet passage in said inlet, arms extending inwardly from said'member and in sliding engagement with the shaft so that the cone-shaped member may be adjusted to and from said housing, a fan in said scroll housing having a shroud encircling the inner end of said passageway, and spaced therefrom in substantially parallel but closely adjacent relations 1p.

3. In a fan having a scroll housing with an inlet, a shaft extending through said inlet into said housing, a cone-shaped inlet passage having an outwardly flared inner end supported by said shaft in said inlet, a fan wheel having a scroll housing with a rotatably mounted in said housing, and a' an adjustable inlet passageway cone-shaped and having inwardly directed converging side walls, and a fan wheel in said housing, said fan wheel including a centrally located cone-shaped member with the apex extending toward said passageway and cooperating with said passageway to direct the air through the fan, means for adj ustably mount ing said cone-shaped passageway member for movement to and from the fan and the housing thereof, whereby air may enter on the outside and inside of the cone-shaped passageway member into the housing.

5. In a fan having a scroll housing with an adjustable inlet passageway having inwardlv directed converging side walls with flared inner ends, and a fan wheel in said housing, said fan wheel including a cone-shaped memsubstantially parallel spaced relationship with respect to said shroud and movable therethrough.

6. In a fan having a scroll housing with an inlet and an outlet, a fan in said housing adapted to rotate therein, a circular coneshaped shroud on said fan. and an adjustable blades and shroud in substantially parallel closely adjacent relationship with said shroud where the overlapping between the shroud and the adjustable passageway occurs.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature. EDWARD L. ANDERSON.

cone-shaped sleeve in said inlet, said coneshaped sleeve having its inner end outwardly flared and normally adjacent the shroud and forming with the shroud a circular passageway.

7. In a fan having a scroll housing with an inlet and an outlet passageway, a fan in said housing adapted to rotate therein, a coneshaped shroud member on said fan, a shaft extending into said housing through said inlet, a cone-shaped sleeve adjustably supported by said shaft and adapted to fit in said inlet to form a cone-shaped passageway, the

inner end of said cone-shaped sleeve being I flared out with an adjacent part of the shroud member overlying it to form an annular passageway for air.

8. In a blower, a casing, a fan, a sliding inlet tube having an outwardlycurved inner end adapted to distribute air either into the fan or exterior thereof, said fan having a shroud adapted to guide the air from the inlfet passageway either over the fan or into the 9. In a blower, a casing having a lateral outlet and a side inlet, a side inlet fan having a cone-shaped shroud on the inlet side, a slidable inlet tube having a flared inner end projected within said shroud in spaced relationship thereto so arranged that back pressure air in the casing on the outside of the tube will pass between the inner end of the inlet tube and the inner wall of the shroud to induce the flow of air through the inlet tube, and means for adjustably positioning i said inlet tube for adjustablydistributing the inlet air either over the fan or on the outside thereof, whereby the quantity of air delivered may be varied without changing the speed of the fan.

1-0. In a blower, a casing having a side in-' 

